Black Friday protests at Walmarts across United States

Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means the following day is Black Friday, retailers’ busiest day of the year. But this year, amid the holiday shopping and bargain hunting, there will also be nationwide protests. Organization United for Respect at Walmart (or OUR Walmart) has announced that workers and supporters will protest at some 1,500 Walmart locations across the country, in what they call “one of the largest mobilizations of working families in American history.”

Workers are calling for an end to illegal retaliation, and for Walmart to publicly commit to improving labor standards, such as providing workers with more full-time work and $25,000 a year. As the country’s largest retailer and employer, Walmart makes more than $17 billion in profits, with the wealth of the Walton family totaling over $144.7 billion — equal to that of 42% of Americans.

TAKE A STAND — OUR Walmart invites all union members and community supporters in the Puget Sound area to attend the Black Friday protest starting at 10 a.m. at the Factoria Mall Walmart, 12620 SE 41st Pl. in Bellevue. There will be other actions around Washington and the rest of the country. Click here to find a different Black Friday protest near you!

Emboldened by news from Walmart CEO Bill Simon that as many as 825,000 workers are paid less than $25,000 a year, workers and supporters are calling for better jobs nationwide. The protests follow recent revelations that many Walmart workers don’t have enough money to cover Thanksgiving dinner for their families. A photo (at right) from a Canton, Ohio, store set the internet abuzz with workers, customers and commentators pointing to a food drive set up for Walmart’s own employees as proof that the retailer pays its workers poverty wages.

“Walmart’s right that associates do stick together and look out for each other. We have to because Walmart and the Waltons seem to be fine with the financial struggles that we’re all facing,” said Barbara Gertz, a five-year Walmart employee from Colorado. “We’re are all in the same situation, one that Walmart creates by paying us poverty wages that aren’t enough to cover holiday meals. We don’t want handouts; we want an employer that pays us enough to afford Thanksgiving dinner — and dinner every night of the year.”